Those of you unfamiliar with All Star Cheerleading may not quite understand the upset of this write up, but I’ll put it in my own words to get you emotionally involved. 

Yesterday Mar 28, 2012 The USAF issued a change in rules effective for 2012-2013 cheer season. Who is the USAF? Basically the Government Body of All Star Cheerleading. And as I’m reading yeah it seems they are getting the negative press as our U.S. Government, but I digress. These rules basically banned elite tumbling skills such as double fulls, standing fulls, and whatever else that is amazing to see young athletes perform. Basically for safety…. To give you an equivalent example, let’s say we ban tackling from football, soccer no kick flips,  or gymnast no tumbling on the balance beam—get the picture?

On top of all that they have degraded the Cheer as sport pointing out that the crop top uniforms must be covered with a tshirt, how make up should be done, how big their bows should be. Maybe there is the stigma out there about cheerleaders as whole because of the negative media from “loose” NFL and NBA Cheerleaders, and how movies portray them in movies. But as a cheer mom, damn this kids are freakin Athletes!

Oh and that isn’t the worst of it. After all this buzz about bullying in schools, and the press about suicides happening because of kids not “fitting” in. The USAF actually had the audacity to actually say “No overly theatrical movements from males” . Wow, really did we just backslide 20 years. Because what I’ve seen is that those on theatrics these boys have attitude and they are FIERCE!

Now if this happened before the time of social media, you might not have heard about this unless you were in the culture. But, now I have to say there is definitely an uproar in the cheer community and it’s being addressed all over the USAF Facebook page and Twitter .  And rightfully so, these athletes put blood sweat and tears perfecting their tumbling skills, you see the disappointment in their face when they don’t hit. And my daughter has come home in tears disappointed when she couldn’t perfect a skillset, but that’s what a competitive sport will do to you right it pushes her to be the best.

So now that you understand what has happened and the reasoning for the upset. I really wrote this because I love how these athletes, parents, and gyms are really speaking up. What I really found that was really cool is that USASF at there highest got about 70 mentions on Twitter. On Mar 28 at the time during the conference call and release of the new rules it jumped 5500 to now today so far approaching 20,000!

I am upset with the limitations and the degrading that they have done to our athletes, but I am anxious to see this carried on and where it will go.

Remember how when you took a stand years ago you were really limited to how you could spread it? Well today voices are heard by millions instantly!

 Read the new rules here: http://usasf.net/news/?id=279

Want a snippet of Allstar cheer, here is a great clip by a local gym in my town.  view here

Ciao~

Views and opinions are my own.